Monday 18 November 2013
ANAMBRA ELECTION: "WE WILL NOT CANCEL ANY RESULT- INEC
THE
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), on Monday, said once a
returning officer announced the result of any election, there is no way the
electoral commission can cancel its outcome.
This
was as it stressed that any objection to the election results by any aggrieved
person should be taken to the courts or the election tribunal.
The
commission advised any political party not satisfied with results declared so
far in the last Saturday governorsip election in Anambra State to either go to
court or the election petition tribunal to seek redress, in line with the 2010
Electoral Act, as amended.
The commission also
said it would soon announce dates for the supplementary election in 210 polling
units spread across 16 local government areas in the state, after evaluation of
the report from officials of the commission.
The chief press
secretary to INEC chairman, Mr Kayode Idowu, disclosed these while reacting to
the call for a total cancellation of the election by candidates of some of the
political parties involved.
He stressed that INEC
could will not cancel what had been announced, adding that the commission would
fix a new date for the supplementary election in the 210 polling units in the
state.
“This is the position
of the law. There is no way INEC as a commission can cancel the outcome of the
Anambra governorship election, because the returning officer has announced the
results.
“The best option for
any aggrieved political party or candidate is to take his or her grievances to
the courts or election tribunal as the case may be.
“The issue of
supplementary election is a policy decision of the Election Management Board
(EMB). When the officials come back from the election duty in Anambra, they
will submit their report and the commission will study it before coming out
with dates for the supplementary election,” he said.
It will be recalled
that candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr Chris Ngige; Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP), Tony Nwoye and that of the Labour Party (LP), Ifeanyi Ubah,
on Sunday, alleged that the election was marred with irregularities and was not
free and fair.
They called for its
cancellation, a view the chairman of All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), Sir
Victor Umeh, frowned at, as he insisted that the election was free, fair and
one of the best ever conducted in the country.
From the results
collated and announced by the returning officer in the state, so far, APGA was
already leading.
Tribune
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